


Minecraft: 303's Revenge

by CheezPretzel



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26602219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheezPretzel/pseuds/CheezPretzel
Summary: Sequel to Minecraft:The Original Adventure. A year has passed since Alex and Steve defeated Herobrine and freed the world of Minecraft from his reign. However, all is not as it seems. After a fight, Steve goes missing, and it's up to Alex to find him and stop Entity 303, all on her own. SteveXAlex Rated T for dark themes. Second in my Minecraft series.
Relationships: Alex/Steve (Minecraft), entity303/herobrine
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This Fanfiction is dedicated to: ThinMintE, JimmyPenguin421, and ScarOfHerobrine. Thank You for your support!
> 
> A/N: Alright! I’m back, and with 303’s Revenge! I seriously cannot wait for all of this to be out! Oh, and just as another note, the writing style here will be a little different than Minecraft: The Original Adventure. Rather than having each chapter go back-and-forth, Alex or Steve’s name will be at the top of each section of text, and the prologue and epilogue will be in third person past tense.  
> Anyway, enough blabbing. Here it is!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Minecraft.

Prologue: Say Yes.

“Alex…” Someone whispered in her ear.

She rolled over with a groan. “Mmm?”

“Alex,” 

“Mpfh,” Alex squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to drift back into her pleasant dream.

“Alex!” The voice became more whiny, and someone poked her shoulder.

Giving up hope of falling back to sleep, Alex opened her eyes with a groan and looked up. The sun was barely up over the horizon, turning the windows a soft, pale rose color. She glanced over to see her boyfriend Steve standing over her.

“What?” She growled.

“You said we could go logging today,” Steve replied, looking at her hopefully.

“Sure, just,” She yawned enormously. “Five more minutes.”

What seemed like moments after she shut her eyes, Steve poked her on the shoulder. “It’s been five minutes.”

Deciding trying to get any more sleep would be pointless, Alex opened her eyes with a sigh. “Okay, okay, I’m awake.”

“Great!” Steve said, enthusiastic. “You get dressed while I pack some breakfast.”

Alex watched him leave with a smile. He was the most childish man she had ever met, but that just made her love him all the more. Ever since their adventure with Herobrine in the Nether, just over a year ago, the two had been inseparable.

Alex climbed out of bed and grabbed her clothes off the chair she had laid them on, pulling them off Pumpkin, the orange tabby kitten she had accidentally tamed during the adventure with Herobrine. Pumpkin opened an eye and growled at her before going back to sleep.

Putting on her shirt, Alex quickly ran a brush through her hair before pulling it into a ponytail. As soon as she came out of her room, Steve handed her an iron axe and some bread and cooked chicken.

“C’mon!” He said excitedly.

Alex shook her head and smiled as she followed him out of the house and along a path towards the northwest. When they finally came upon a grove of dark oak wood, both took out their axes and began working at a thick, tall dark oak tree. Taking out the wood one block at a time, the rest of the tree would float in midair until they chopped it down. 

After they finished the first tree, Alex turned to a small oak tree nearby and began working at it with her axe. Tree chopping was exhausting, and each swing of the axe required perfect precision in order to avoid taking off fingers.

“I don’t see why you were so excited about this,” Alex said between breaths. “It’s just logging, what’s so fun about it?”

“Any time that I get to spend with you is always fun,” Steve answered seriously.

Alex laughed. “Charmer.”

They continued to work in pleasant silence, until a few moments later, when Alex realized with a growing horror that she could not hear Steve’s axe through the trees anymore.

“Steve?” She called out, worried. Even though the sun was up, the occasional monster could still be lurking in the shadows of a tree or have found its way above ground. “Steve!?”

“Behind you,” He said, from somewhere behind her.

Alex sighed. “Steve, you really scared…” She turned around, trailing off.

Steve was down on one knee, holding a little black box with purple velvet lining. His mouth was turned up in a hopeful smile.

“Steve...?” Alex asked, flattered and confused. Was this the reason he was so excited about logging?

“Alex, I love you,” Steve started. Alex knew better than to interrupt him. Steve sometimes rambled when he was nervous, but he had good intentions, and it was usually worth the wait. “You know that, and I know that. We’ve both known since we confessed our love for each other in, well, not exactly,” He cleared his throat. “...the most romantic place, per say, but it’s something that I’ve known for a whole year now, and I feel like it’s time to move on in our relationship,” He looked up into her eyes. “Alexandria Archer, will you give me the pleasure and pride of being your husband? Will you marry me?”

For a moment, all Alex could do was stare at the ring in the little box. It was gleaming in the early morning light, a gold band with a diamond embedded in the ring in the shape of a heart. She looked up into Steve’s nervous indigo eyes.

“Yes,” Her normally confident voice came out a whisper.

Steve visibly relaxed, and his hopeful smile became more genuine, as he gingerly took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Alex’s ring finger.

Alex wrapped her arms around his waist for a hug, and for a few moments all they did was hold each other. When they pulled apart finally, Steve leaned down and planted a small kiss on Alex’s forehead.

“C’mere,” Alex said with a laugh as she pressed her lips against his. The kiss was almost too light, but they pressed themselves together over and over again, in a series of soft light kisses that slowly grew into deeper, harder ones. He pressed her backwards, supporting her with an arm around her waist. She gripped his shoulders for extra support.

When they finally pulled apart permanently, they both gasped for breath.

Steve gave a short, breathless laugh, before turning off into the woods. “If we’re going to get any work done, then you’re going to have to stop being such a good kisser.”

Alex laughed and turned back to the tree she had been working on, only too see an oak sign with red text sitting on the stump of the tree.

She read it quickly.

Don’t get too comfortable, traitor.

The note wasn’t signed, but even if it was blank, it wouldn’t take a genius to discover who had left it. Entity 303 had been here. Deciding to keep the note to herself, Alex pocketed the sign and began chopping at the stump.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?


	2. Wedding Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we go! Chapter One! This may just be one of the longest chapters that I have so far!

**(Alex)**

“How about this one?” Milly asks, tapping the page with the quill she’s holding. On the page is a sketch of a wedding dress, white with creamy hints, no sleeves, a form fitting top and skirt.

“No,” I say quickly. “Too revealing.”

“Okay,” Milly turns the page. “This one?”

The dress, like the previous one, has no sleeves, but this one has a huge billowing skirt that is held up with several petticoats.

“I like the skirt, but the top is cut too low,” I tell Milly.

She sighs, flipping the page.

“Am I being too picky?” I ask her.

Milly laughs. “Actually, you’ve been pretty mild compared to other brides I’ve done dresses for.”

“Really?” I ask. I thought I was the pickiest person on the planet when it comes to dresses?

“You should’ve seen Dr. Green,” Milly says, passing me the book open to a certain page. “She was a  _ total _ nervous wreck.” She laughs. “I wasn’t even a shepherd yet, but my mom was stressed out for a whole year.”

I laugh alongside her. Ever since me and Steve got back from the Nether, Milly had gotten over her evident crush on Steve, and was dating another villager named Guy. In fact, Milly and I had become great friends over the past year, which, to be honest, was kind of freaking Steve and Guy out a little.

I glance down at the dress, this time a short sleeved gown with a large flowery skirt and a small row of fabric roses sewn in a sash across the chest.

“This one’s okay,” I squint at it. “Maybe minus the roses.”

“The roses make the whole piece,” Milly whines. She sighs when I glance up at her. “I’ll bookmark it. Some progress is better than none, I guess.”

She places a piece of paper in the book and flips the page. “How about this?”

“Too short,” I answer. “But I like the top.”

Milly sighs and scratches down something on a piece of paper, then marks the page. “Sorry. It’s been kind of a busy week.”

“I know,” I lay my hand on hers. Dr. Green had recently had another baby and was taking some time off work to recuperate, which makes everyone nervous about their doctor being out sick. Meanwhile the rest of the villagers are talking about spawning in an iron golem, but the idea that it might deplete iron supplies is causing an exhausting debate.

Milly glances at the clock on the wall and sighes. “I have to head to the town hall for the afternoon discussions. You’re welcome to come if you’d like.”

“Okay,” I get up from the table and wait as she puts the book away, before we both head down to the town hall. Since Steve and I don’t live in the village and share our resources as freely as the villagers, we don’t have any say in the matter over whether or not an iron golem is spawned.

When we arrive at the town hall, Dr. Green, to my surprise, is up and on her feet. She’s holding her new baby, Leo, swaddled in a blanket.

“Afternoon,” Milly says with a nod, going inside.

“Is this the new baby?” I ask.

“Yes,” Dr. Green smiles. “This is Leo.” She smiles at me. “Would you like to hold him?”

“Umm…” I look down at little Leo, tiny and wrapped in a green blanket. He’s awake, watching me trustingly with giant green eyes. “I don’t know…” I’ve never been good with animals or small children, especially babies. That’s Steve’s thing.

Dr. Green laughs. “That’s okay. You don’t have to hold him if you don’t want to.”

I relax and smile thankfully at Dr. Green. We head inside the town hall, taking two open seats in the back. 

Brant, the village mayor took the stage-like dias at the front of the room. Everyone quieted down as fast as possible, which was surprisingly slow considering the room was full of adults. 

“People of the Village,” He began. “We are gathered here for a formal debate concerning whether or not the spawn of an iron golem is needed for our protection.”

“The committee for the spawn is lead by Herbert,” He motioned towards an armourer, standing off to his right. “And the committee against the spawn is lead by Seymor,” He gestured towards the short cartographer. “I myself will preside over this debate. You may begin. Herbert?”

Herbert took the podium. “People of the village, we are in grave danger. A year ago today we were attacked by pillagers and a mysterious man named Herobrine, who drove us from our homes and wounded and killed many of our fellow villagers. Spawning in a golem will protect us from future pillager attacks, and will help against the mysterious Entity 303 who still roams our world, this, my people, is why I propose to spawn an iron golem.”

Everyone claps, but I am on the edge of my seat. He’s right. Steve and I may have defeated Herobrine, but Entity 303 is still out there. I pause. Did we fail? Is the village in danger because of us?

Seymor gets up to speak and Dr. Green lays a hand on my knee. “Alex, are you alright?”

“I’m going to go get some fresh air,” I answer, slipping out of the town hall as quietly as possible.

Outside, I sit with my head between my knees, trying not to hyperventilate. We  _ failed _ . The village is in danger because of us! I gasp for breath, when a soft clicking noise can be heard. My head shoots up and I see Entity 303 standing in front of me.

“You!” I leap to my feet and throw a punch at her face. Instead of knocking her over, my fist simply phases through her face.

She laughs, cold and chilling. “Silly Child. Why would I actually appear to you?”

I snarl at her. “Because you’re nothing but a cruel b-”

“CHILD!” She scolds, feigning surprise. “Such  _ language. _ Careful, or I’ll have to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“I’m not a child,” I growl at her.

She laughs again. “Oh, Alex, you’ll always be a child to me.”

“Leave me alone,” I growl at her, sliding back down against the wall.

“ _ Alone _ ?” She asks, as if the word had never occurred to her before. “Oh, I believe that could be arranged, for, oh, how about forever?”

I sigh. “Sure, whatever.”

“I really was anticipating this hunt,” She says with a laugh. “Oh, this will be absolutely perfect.”

I look up at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Perhaps I can feed him to zombies afterwords,” She muses.

“Feed  _ who _ to zombies?” I ask, panic building in me.

“Oh no one,” She smiles like a shark. “Only that little brat you hang around with.”

My stomach drops. No. She can’t do that. Not to Steve. “You can’t have him!” I near-shout.

Entity 303 laughs again. “As you will soon discover, I can have anything I want.”

I stand up to throw another punch.

“Bye!” She vanishes, and my hand hits air.

I stop, trembling and gasping for air.

Dr. Green comes out of the building, looking confused. “Alex, are you alright?”

I’m still gasping for breath. “I- I have to go!”

“Alex?” Dr. Green calls, confused as I sprint out of the village. My feet hit path for a while before they meet grass, and I continue to run. I fly through the forest, following the dirt path to our house. I leap over a fallen log and duck under a branch, sliding into the yard.

Rex looks up from where he was sleeping in the yard. He yawns in a tired way, and lays back down. Pausing to catch my breath, I head inside the house.

“Steve?” I ask.

The quiet house offers no response.

“STEVE!” I run through the house, checking the kitchen alcove and the bathroom first, before I check both our bedrooms. It’s obvious. Steve isn’t home.

Pumpkin hops off the counter and meows, rubbing up against my legs. I run outside to the barn, and Pumpkin meows in protest.

Steve isn’t in the barn, or the field of wheat next to our house. 

“STEVE!” I scream off into the woods before collapsing against the wall, breathing deeply, trying not to cry. It’s probably right. Entity 303 found Steve, and he’s probably dead, being fed to zombies in the dark recesses of some cave somewhere….

He won’t even be able to respawn, because he’s been mining for a week and brought a bed with him. He was supposed to come back today, too. He’s gone... really gone…

I get up to go back inside the house. Dragging my feet, I open the door, and pause to think.

“ALEX!” 

I whirl around to see Steve running up to the house, coming from the direction of the mines. All I can do is stare as he runs up to me and pulls me into a hug. I lay my head against his chest and try not to cry.

“I heard you yell, what’s wrong?” He asks, his breath still raging in my ear, his heart racing.

“I…” I try to take a deep breath but I choke on my words. “I thought you were… were…” I gasp for breath. “...dead.”

I finally break into sobs as Steve holds me, stroking my hair and letting me cry into his shirt.

“Shh…” He whispers. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m alive, Alex. I’m fine, I promise.”

I gasp for breath, trying to catch it. 

“What made you think I was dead?” Steve asks me, looking confused.

“I was at the village, and… and…” I gasp for breath. “ _ She _ appeared to me and said she was going to kill you.”

Steve presses me against him as I begin to tremble, trying not to cry. “Alex, I’m fine, I promise. She was probably just trying to scare you.”

“But what if she…” I look up at him as he gently presses a finger to my lips.

“Shhh… She won’t. I promise. I’ll be careful, and she won’t get to me no matter how hard she tries.” He says softly.

We pull apart and stare at each other for a considerable amount of time.

I sigh softly. “Let’s go inside. You’re tired from mining and didn’t need me freaking out all over you.”

Steve laughs as he follows me inside. “Freak out all you want, nothing bad is going to happen to me. Nothing at all.”

**LIES.**


	3. Hunting and Mining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter two is here! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Steve**

Cold air sweeps through the deep mines, far below the surface. I move closer to a torch, trying to get warm in the feeble heat they provide. Shivering, I pass the torch and continue to hike through the cold mines. It’s early in the morning, or so I think. My sleep schedule could be off, after all. That tends to happen when you’ve been mining for over a week.

I do get to go home today, after all. At least that’s what I promised Alex. My heart leaps at the prospect of seeing her again. It’s only been a month since I proposed, but I’m so excited for our wedding! 

We’ve only been together for a year, but I knew it was the right thing to do. We love each other and I’m ready for this.

Besides, we might be the last of our species. Dr. Green and the villagers are similar to us, but different, considering their shorter arms and elongated heads and noses. Sometimes I wonder what happened to the rest of our people, but when I asked Alex, all she said was ‘Herobrine probably killed them all’. 

I continue to hike through the chilly caves. I left Rex at home because I was worried about him getting hurt, and Alex stayed home because I want to keep the  _ real _ reason I’m mining a secret from her.

Ever since I crafted and gave her, her engagement ring, it’s the only piece of jewelry she’ll wear, so I planned on finding some gold and diamonds and crafting her a necklace that she’ll feel comfortable wearing, and with the gold and a few diamonds in my inventory, I can’t wait to get home.

I stop to eat some bread, but when I do, footsteps continue, despite me not walking. My breath hitches and I glance around nervously. No monsters usually do that. The footsteps stop, and I pause with a shrug. Probably nothing.

I bite into the bread, but stop chewing when I get a vague feeling that something is watching me. Glancing around nervously, I don’t see anything, but the feeling of being watched doesn’t go away.

I scarf down the bread and continue through the caves, hurrying home. The footsteps start again and this time they continue in time, albeit a little off to my own footsteps. I speed up, and soon I’m running as fast as I can. I can see the light of the outside world!

“STEVE!” Someone screams from far away. No. Not someone. ALEX!

I sprint up the stairs two at a time and out into the warm open air. I run through the forest as fast as I can, my breath raging. 

When I come up to the house, I can see Alex walking inside, looking dejected. 

“ALEX!” I cry her name as I leap up the stairs to the porch and grab her in a hug, pressing her trembling form to my chest. It’s been too long since I’ve held her like this…

“I heard you yell, what’s wrong?” I ask, worried. 

“I…” She tries to take a deep breath but chokes on her words. “I thought you were… were…” She gasps for breath. “...dead.”

I hold her tighter as she begins to cry. I stroke her hair as her tears wet the front of my shirt. Poor thing. She must have been terrified.

“Shh…” I whisper, trying to soothe her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m alive, Alex. I’m fine, I promise.” She gasps for breath, and I decide not to tell her about the footsteps in the cave. No use scaring her any more than she already is. “What made you think I was dead?”

“I was at the village, and… and…” She tries to take a breath, but she’s crying too hard.. “ _ She _ appeared to me and said she was going to kill you.”

Shocked, I press her trembling body against my chest. “Alex, I’m fine, I promise. She was probably just trying to scare you.”

“But what if she..” Alex tries to ask, but I gently lay a finger on her lips to stop her. She needs to stop worrying so much.

“Shhh… She won’t. I promise. I’ll be careful, and she won’t get to me no matter how hard she tries.” I say softly, trying to reassure her.

We pull apart and stare at each other for a considerable amount of time.

She sighs softly, looking at the ground guiltily. “Let’s go inside. You’re tired from mining and didn’t need me freaking out all over you.”

I laugh softly, following her inside, glad that she seems less stressed. “Freak out all you want, nothing bad is going to happen to me. Nothing at all.”

The sentence feels oddly eerie.

When I come inside, Alex hands me some cooked chicken meat and a little water. I sit down at the table to eat, thankful for the food.

“How was mining?” Alex asks me.

“Fine,” I answer, chewing on the chicken. No matter how much I insist that it tastes good, Alex seems to think that the chicken I make is better. Oh well.

“Did you find anything interesting?” She asked. “Gold? Diamonds? Emeralds? Lapis?”

“Some lapis and iron,” I answer, averting my gaze. 

“Anything  _ else _ ?” She presses. 

“I found an emerald, ok!” If she keeps pressing, she’s going to find about about the gold and diamonds for her necklace. It’s supposed to be a secret!

Alex sighs, and looks at the ground before looking up at me, a knowing spark in her clover colored eyes. “Steve Blocker, you are the world’s worst liar.”

“Hey!” I pretend to be annoyed by her accusation. But then I blush and look at my shoes. “I’m not  _ that _ bad at lying, am I?”

Alex stiffles a giggle. “Yeah, you are.” She grins at me. “So what did you find? Diamonds? Gold?”

“Some gold, and a few diamonds,” I sigh. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Alex looks at me, a little confused. “A surprise?”

I sigh again, defeated. “Your engagement ring was the only jewelry that you’d wear, so I wanted to make you a necklace or something.”

Alex stares at me, wide eyed. “Steve, you didn’t have to…”

“I just wanted to make you happy,” I mumble, embarrassed.

Alex walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. “Steve, it’s adorable for you to think of me like that, and it  _ does _ make me happy, but I don’t need a necklace.”

I reach up and touch her face softly. “I… I know, I just wanted you to feel comfortable wearing jewelry.”

Alex lays her hand on top of mine and laughs. “Steve, that’s not why I dislike jewelry. I’m totally comfortable wearing it, I just don’t think it’s practical is all.”

I laugh, and try not to facepalm.  _ That’s _ why she doesn’t like jewelry? That actually makes sense!

“It’s sweet of you to think of me and all, but shouldn’t gold and diamonds be used for more important things, like tools or armor?” Alex asks, walking back over to the window.

I jump up so fast I almost fall on my face. “If you don’t want a necklace, fine. But I know what you’ll really use!”

“Mmhmm?” She asks playfully, digging through the chest.

“A diamond helmet,” I announce proudly. After the incident with Herobrine a year ago, I’m still not entirely sure Alex’s head is fully healed from blacking out twice and being thrown into several walls, and seeing at how prone she is to head injuries, the helmet will be given good use.

Alex laughs softly. “Steve, I don’t need a helmet.”

I just smile and shake my head, climbing the stairs to the upstairs and my room. She most  _ definitely _ needs a helmet.

In my room, I add a little to the map I’ve been keeping. It has several layers and different parts. There’s the mountains, our house, the village, and even a map of the mines.

I add another corridor to the mines, but…. Wait… that’s odd. There should be something there. I stare at the map. A giant white blankness, almost like a corner of a square.

Hmmm.

I pick up the map and walk down the stairs. “Alex?”

“Yes?” She asks, opening the door to her room.

“Take a look at this,” I ask, handing her the map.

She looks at it for a long moment. “What?”

“How is it that we’ve never even seen this entire corner of my map?” I ask her, pointing to the blank wide space. “I mean, what’s back there?”

Alex looks up at me, her eyes glinting with anticipation. “I know you just got back from mining, but…” She trails off.

“You want to go see what it is?” I ask, excited. 

Alex grins at me. “Tomorrow?”

I nod, my heart speeding up at her grin. “Tomorrow.”

**Oh, boy, here we go again.**


	4. Who Made This?

**Steve**

Early the next morning, we leave for the mines. Alex packs some meat and milk buckets, just in case we run into a witch or something, and we head down underground.

We walk for about half and hour before coming to the spot marked on the map where we can tunnel in. 

We pause, each eating a steak before looking at each other.

“You ready?” Alex asks with a playful grin.

I put on a straight face and look into her eyes. “Alex, if you will stand by me, no matter what lies in this cave or beyond, I will  _ always _ be ready.”

Alex stares at me for a few seconds, obviously trying to suppress a smile. She covers her mouth and snorts to keep from laughing.

It fails after about two seconds and we both burst out laughing.

“Sorry,” Alex finally manages to say between short gasps of laughter. “It’s just so… out of context!”

“Yeah,” I answer. “We were in a  _ much _ different place back then.”

Alex tries to keep a straight face before dissolving into giggles again. 

After a few minutes, we finally compose ourselves and start mining. We dig straight ahead, but only get about four blocks before the wall gives way to another cave. No.

_ This _ is no cave.

A perfectly square 3 blocks by 3 blocks corridor runs perpendicular to where we stand. I stare at it for a long time. Slats of wood and fence hold up the ceiling.

“What?” Alex asks. I step out of the way to let her through the corridor.

“Whoa,” She says, staring at the empty mineshaft.

The mineshaft has some sort of weird feel to it. Like it’s holding its breath, waiting for the people who built it to come back. We head down the left portion of the corridor, placing torches as we go. 

“This place must be huge,” Alex breathes.

“I know,” I answer. “Who do you think built it?”

“Must have been something that came before us. Villagers certainly can’t do this,” She answers softly. “Kind of freaks me out, though.”

“Other people? You mean people like us?” I ask her.

“Yeah, maybe. I mean, Herobrine couldn’t have killed  _ all  _ of them. There might still be some survivors out there somewhere.”

“I guess,” I answer, as we walk a little further. I spot something up the corridor, and as we get closer, I realize it’s an old minecart, with a chest sitting inside it.

“Check this out,” I run over and throw it open. Cool. Some food, torches, coal, and… a saddle?! Neat! “Alex look, a saddle.”

She doesn’t respond.

I freeze, my blood going cold, and slowly turn around, to see Alex staring a zombie in the face. It growls fiercely and takes a step forward, but Alex doesn’t move.

“Alex…” I ask, staring at her.

She doesn’t move. The zombie comes within a few blocks of her when she whips out her bow and shoots it through the face.

०००

**Alex**

The zombie falls to the floor, and a skeleton archer appears from behind him, who I shoot easily.

A small, blue spider leaps at Steve, who smacks it away using his new diamond sword. Another one sneaks up on him from behind, and he leaps up with a yelp.

We fight back to back, Steve’s shoulders just a breath from my own sends delicious shivers up my spine, despite the gravity of the situation. Steve yelps again in pain, this time.

“You okay?” I ask over the noise of the battle.

“Yeah I’m fine,” he answers. “Stupid spider bit me…” He mutters to himself.

I take out a creeper with my bow, and continue fighting, but spiders are pouring in by the bucketload. I take out a spider with my bow but it’s no use.

“Let’s get out of here!” I shout to Steve.

“Sounds like a good idea,” He says, shivering. We race down the corridors, sliding at turns and finally finding our passage, scurrying through.

I close up the entrance with wood, an easily recognisable block, so we can find the abandoned mineshaft later, and stop, panting. I turn around to look at Steve when I freeze in horror.

Steve is lying against the mineshaft wall, breath ragged. His skin is pale and slick with sweat. I run the three steps to his side before kneeling beside him.

“Alex…” He moans softly.

“Shh,” I caress his face gently, pulling some milk from my inventory. He’s been poisoned by something. Was there a witch in the cave that I wasn’t aware of? “Drink this.”

Steve takes the milk and drinks the whole thing as quickly as he can. The lipids in the milk counteract effects from potions.

His breathing slowly quiets, and color slowly returns to his skin.

“Did you get attacked by a witch?” I ask him gently.

“No,” He says softly. “Spiders had poison venom.”

He opens his eyes and attempts to stand. He falters for a second and I dive under his arm, holding him up around his shoulders. 

“Thanks,” Steve gasps quietly.

I smile at him. “Let’s get out of here.”

It takes a long time to walk out of the mine. The poison not only weakened Steve sufficiently, it tired him out as well, so every few steps we have to stop and rest. When we finally make it out, the day is drawing to a close, the sun setting over the horizon.

It takes close to an hour in total to get home, and when we finally do, the sun is already down and a thousand diamond-like stairs glitter overhead.

Steve stumbles upstairs to rest, and I begin to put away our gear. While organizing our 

stuff, I let my mind wander back to Entity 303’s promise.

Steve said that he’d be fine, but how can he be so sure? Shouldn't we find and take care of Entity 303 before she does anything? How can Steve  _ know _ that he’s going to be okay?

What if she gets to him?

What if he dies  _ permanently _ ?

What if I never see him again?

I choke as my breath hitches. I run up the stairs and pound on Steve’s door almost desperately.

“Yes?” He asks through the door. 

I push the door open trying not to look desperate. He’s sitting on the end of his bed, a crafting table set in front of him. As I look at him he slides something blue and glittering under his bed.

I decide not to ask.

“Alex?” He asks me, looking confused.

“I… um… how are you feeling?” I ask awkwardly.

“Um… I’m fine…?” His response comes out more of a question. “What about… you?”

“Sorry,” I sigh, glancing down at the ground, embarrassed. “I’ll go.”

“No, wait,” Steve calls, as I turn to leave.

I glance back at him.

“Stay,” He smiles at me, patting a space of bed next to him invitingly.

I walk over and sit down next to him. The mattress sags slightly and our legs touch. My heart flutters excitedly, even with the minimal contact.

“Are you really okay?” Steve asks me, looking concerned. “You’ve been a little on edge lately.”

“I’m fine,” I answer softly.

I’m not fine.


	5. Anger Is A Powerful Tool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Chapter four time. Also, for those of you who missed it, Steve’s line from the last chapter (The whole ‘if you will stand by me…’ stuff) was him spoofing Alex’s line from Ch. 9 of The Original Adventure.

**Steve**

Alex sits down on the bed next to me, and my heart jumps when our legs touch.

“Are you really okay?” I ask her. Poor thing has been so anxious as of late. “You’ve been a little on edge lately.”

“I’m okay,” She answers softly.

She’s not okay.

“Alex…” I begin, but she cuts me off.

“I’m not okay, alright,” She whispers, tears began to well up in her green eyes. “I’m so scared, Steve.” 

“Don’t be scared,” I whisper to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. “No one’s going to hurt you, not while I’m here.”

“I’m scared that Entity 303 is going to hurt you,” Alex says softly. “I’m not scared for myself.”

I look at her softly. This is what she’s worried about? I thought we talked about this already. “Alex, I’m fine. I’m going to be fine. As long as we don’t provoke Entity 303, she won’t do anything to us.”

Alex gets up off the bed and turns to look at me. “What about Herobrine?”

I stare up at her. “What about him?”

“We never provoked Herobrine, and he kidnapped Rex anyway. Who’s to say Entity 303’ll be any different?” She asks me.

I sigh. “Alex, that was different.”

“Different  _ how _ ?” She asks me.

“Because I’m not Rex,” I answer. “Rex is adorable but he’s also a dog. I’m smart enough not to get kidnapped.”

“Not if Entity 303 is smarter,” Alex counters.

I stare at her and try not to sigh. “What do you want to do to about it, Alex?”

She looks up at me, her green eyes filled with a dark expression that I’ve never seen on her before. “We find Entity 303, we hunt her down, and,” She pauses and I freeze. I know where she’s going with this. “We kill her.”

“Alex, we can’t just kill her. If we just sit here and ignore her, the whole thing will probably blow over,” I say softly, glancing at her.

“Wake up, Steve,” She snaps, getting agitated. “It’s been a  _ year _ since we fought Herobrine. Shouldn’t that have been  _ plenty _ of time for all this to blow over?”

“Maybe she needs more time,” I answer. Why can’t Alex just see that this option is safer?

“She doesn’t need more time, we need to kill her,” Alex snaps, raising her voice slightly.

“We don’t need to kill her, we need to leave her alone,” I answer.

“Stop deflecting everything I say!” She shouts at me angrily.

“I’m NOT deflecting everything you say, You’re not LISTENING to me!” I shout back. I normally hate yelling, but this is stupid, and I’m to angry to care.

“I  _ AM _ LISTENING TO YOU!” She screams. “YOU JUST HAVE BAD IDEAS!”

“MAYBE I’D HAVE BETTER IDEAS IF YOU WEREN’T CONSTANTLY  _ SCREWING THEM UP _ !” I scream back, seeing red.

“I WISH I’D NEVER MET YOU!” She shouts, staring at me.

I freeze, my inside going cold. “Alex, you don’t mean--”

“I wish that dumb zombie had just killed me,” She snaps.

Alex turns and flees the room.

“ALEX!” I shout down the stairs, but she’s already left. The door slams behind her. “ALEX! WAIT! PLEASE!”

No. This cannot be happening. There’s no way. She couldn’t have just left. I collapse on my bed and burst into tears. It’s not fair. I never wanted this. I just want her to be happy. 

I begin to fall asleep, but before I drift off, a thought crosses my mind.

_ What have I done? _

०००

**Alex**

I run through the forest, tears streaming down my face, before I stumble into the village, sobbing. 

“Alex?” a familiar voice asks.

I look up to see Dr. Green standing above me, looking concerned. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”

“I… I… I yelled at Steve and he probably hates me now,” I answer without thinking.

“Oh, sweetie,” Dr. Green says with compassion. “Come over to my place and we can talk.”

I follow her home quietly. The village is lit by lanterns that glitter from the street posts, casting an orange glow.

When we get to Dr. Green’s house, she has me sit on one of the cots in her examination room. I smile bitterly. The last time I was here, Steve had just found me in the woods. 

Steve. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I didn’t mean it. I was just so mad.

“What happened between you and Steve?” Dr. Green asks, sitting next to me. 

“We were talking, and I got mad, and we yelled at each other,” I sigh. “I wish I hadn’t said some of the things I did.”

“Hey,” Dr. Green places her hand on mine. “Tristan and I had similar fights when we were younger. It’ll get better, I promise.”

“I hope so,” I sigh softly. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“Sure,” Dr. Green smiles. “You can apologise to Steve tomorrow, it’ll give you both time to think.”

“Thanks,” I answer, curling into the cot.

Just before I fall asleep, however, an odd thought passes through my brain.

_ What have I done? _


	6. Gone

**Alex**

The next morning I wake to the sound of dishes clattering and the smell of cooking pork. I get up and smooth off my rumpled clothing, rubbing my eyes. When I walk out into the main room, Dr. Green is standing at the base of the stairs.

“Morning,” I greet her.

“Do you want some breakfast?” She replies.

“I’m good,” I answer. “I’m going to go talk to Steve.”

“Let me know how it goes,” Dr. Green answers with a smile.

I walk out the door and into the crisp autumn morning. Villagers around me go about their business, blacksmiths at their forges, clerics at their shops, and butchers at their deli’s. I continue walking, out of the village and down the dirt path towards the house. The bright orange and red leaves add a festive air to the entire scene, while my feet crunch under frosty grass. A fox trots through the trees, turning to run when it sees me.

When I finally arrive at the house, I stare at it for a long time before walking up to the front gate. It’s smashed in. That’s odd, but not uncommon. Zombies sometimes ruin the gate.

The entire house scene feels empty, like there’s no one here. I hear a whimper, and a shape lips towards me, dragging a leg. Rex!

“What happened?” I ask the dog, leaning over to gently pull an arrow out of a wound on his leg. I hand him some beef from my inventory.

He whimpers and pulls on the front of my shirt, pawing at me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him.

He whines and trots towards the house, dragging his leg. I follow him onto the porch, where I find an orange shape trapped by a ruined section of the railing. I pull it off, and Pumpkin looks up at me before yawning and stretching.

I glance up the see the door smashed open. That’s not good.

When I head inside, the entire house is ransacked. Stuff is flipped over, food is scattered all over the floor, several chests are sitting open and ruined. The furnace is laying on it’s side in the center of the kitchenette floor. When I open the door to my room, two or three chests are open, but my bow and arrows are intact.

“Steve?” I call.

No answer.

I head up the stairs to Steve’s room, pausing at the bookshelves, stripped of their books and empty. I don’t even have to open the door to Steve’s room. The entire door is gone, blasted to smithereens. The room is dark and empty. The bed is flung into one wall and Steve is nowhere to be found.

I run to the center of the room where a small book, Steve’s diary, and a lit lantern sit quietly. When I pick up the book, a paper falls out. I pick it up and read it.

_ Dearest Alexandria, _

_ Unfortunatly for you, your idiotic companion may be of use to me. _

_ Several zombies often assist me and they demand flesh as a  _

_ payment. If you, however, want your friend to live, then I suggest  _

_ you meet up with me so we can discuss an alternate option. _

_ However, I do not believe that this will be necessary, as, from my  _

_ understanding, you wish you never met him. You have also insisted  _

_ that you be left alone, and I, being a woman of hospitality, feel inclined _

_ to deliver to you your desire.  _

_ Your loving friend. _

Loving friend.

How dare she. She is not my friend and never will be. And after she has the  _ audacity  _ to kidnap Steve, she believes that we can just be best buddies. I crumple the note and am about to shove it into my inventory when I notice something.

Fool. She wrote the message on the back of a map!

The map is clearly marked, with the location of the village, several mountain ranges, a large body of water, and a little red dot labeled, Stronghold.

Does Entity 303 have strongholds? Is this where Steve is?

I study the map more closely before picking up Steve’s diary and the lantern. I get up to leave, but when I do, something catches my eye, under a chunk of wood.

I pick the wood up and find a diamond helmet.

The helmet Steve said he was making for me. It’s beautiful, all glistening blue diamonds and expertly formed. The inside of the helmet is lined with soft white sheep’s wool.

I put the helmet on, and it fits perfectly. A lump rises in my throat when I think about how much love Steve probably put into this. He was always better than me at making weapons and armor. I can imagine him pouring over a crafting bench, carefully sculpting the helmet to fit my skull. I lean against the wall and try not to cry.

Pumpkin comes in and starts meowing at me. Whatever she wants, she’s probably right. Sitting here crying over a helmet isn’t going to get me anywhere. Steve needs my help.

And I’m going to find him.

I slide down the wall and sit quietly, staring at Steve’s diary. Prying is wrong, but what if the diary can give me hints about what he really feels. I only hesitate for a second before opening the book.

_ I’m so excited. Tomorrow is Alex’s birthday, wait until she sees the lilies and orchids I found for her. I had to go all the way to the swamp but it’s totally worth it to get her favorite flowers. I can’t wait until she sees them! _

I stare at the entry with a smile. That solves that mystery. I remember those flowers. They were fresh and beautiful. I even pressed two of them between a couple books and hung them on my wall. 

Speaking of walls, I pick up Steve’s clock and hang it back up. The clock stopped from being dropped on the floor, and now it only displays one time. 3 AM.

I stop in the kitchen to grab some provisions. Steak, water, some emeralds in case I find a wandering trader, my armor, tools like axes and shovels, my sword, my enchanted bow and extra arrows, and finally I throw in the saddle Steve found and Steve’s diary.

_ I’m coming Steve, _ I walk out of the house, shutting Pumpkin inside. Rex trots out the door and follows me down the path. I decide to let him come.

We’ll find Steve soon.

**A/N: Awkward ending is… well... awkward.**


	7. Travelling

**Steve**

_ “I WISH I’D NEVER MET YOU!” _

_ “Alex, you don’t mean…” _

_ “I wish that dumb zombie had just killed me,” _

I jolt awake with a gasp. Cold air meets my lungs as well as a musty smell. Where am I? Then it hits me. 

303’s attack. 

Captured.

The stronghold.

I sit up with a groan. I remember now. Entity 303 attacked and kidnapped me. I can feel my heartbeat quicken. Did she go after Alex? Is Alex alright?

I stand up slowly and look around the room. Bland, gray walls, some with moss growing in them. An iron door shuts the room in, and the whole space is lit by a small iron lantern set on a block in the corner.

I stretch and my feel my back pop in a dozen different places. Walking over to the door, I peer out to discover a skeleton standing guard in front of the door. I could probably take it easy enough. Pulling out a pickaxe, I prepare to break out of the room.

०००

**(Alex)**

The forest is cool and dry. Sun speckles the grass, leaves rustle, and wild animals graze on the lush vegetation. I traverse the old paths quickly, avoiding the wild animals and other unsavory characters. Rex trots along beside me, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

As we walk, ahead of us, I can see a figure traveling towards us. Rex pricks his ears and begins trotting a little faster. I discreetly pull out my bow and place it in an easily accessible spot in my hotbar. 

The figure gets closer, and rex and I both relax. This is not one of 303’s servants, it’s just a wandering trader. 

“Oh hallo!” He says, stopping when our paths converge. “You buy something, yes?”

“Oh, um,” I glance up at him. “What do you have to offer?”

“I trade you wool, timber, fish?” He asks excitedly. 

“I’m sorry,” I shake my head, trying to get past him. “I don’t think I’m interested.”

“Ooohhh,” He stares at me, his green eyes glinting with understanding. “You want  _ rare _ items.”

“Um, I don’t think I want--” I start, but he cuts me off.

“You want magic boots,” He asks, holding out a pair of diamond boots. The boots glitter with a purple sheen.

“I… No thank you,” I tell him. “I’m trying to find my friend, and I don’t need a pair of magic boots, but thank you for offering.”

“You look for friend?” He asks, looking confused.

“Well, er, yes,” I answer. “My friend was kidnapped by an evil lady.”

He presses the boots into my hands. “Then you need magic boots to help you.”

“No please,” I try to hand them back, but he doesn’t take them. “I don’t need these, honestly--”

“You save your friend,” He presses the boots back into my hands and turns down the path. I blink and he disappears.

“Well that was weird,” I tell Rex. 

Rex sneezes in response. 

We continue our journey, but stop after a while on a fallen log to eat. I throw Rex a porkchop, and eat one myself, before pulling on the diamond boots. They glitter beautifully, but I can’t keep them, of course. After I find Steve and all this is done with, I’ll find the trader and give him back his merchandise.

Rex and I continue walking, but we come to shallow stream soon enough. The stream intersects the path due to the heavy rains that we’ve been having recently.

I step towards the water, and it freezes over.

I freeze, and the ice slowly dissolves, breaking into chunks before melting into tiny shards. Rex growls at the melting ice.

“Must be the boots,” I tell him.

If dogs could shrug, I think Rex probably would have.

I step closer to the water and it freezes over again. I gingerly step out onto the ice. It creaks, but it will hold my weight. I walk across the stream. Rex patiently waits for the water to freeze before swimming across.

“Don’t trust magic?” I ask him.

He snorts at me.

I laugh and we continue walking.

**A/N: Well, that was short.**


	8. Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Everyone, please remain calm as I make an announcement:  
> ….  
> ….  
> ….  
> ….  
> Herobrine is coming back.  
> ….  
> Just not yet. Soon, but probably not for a while. He will come into play involving a couple of my own characters and the fight with the ender dragon.  
> That should clear up some of the confusion.

**(Alex)**

Night falls silently. Bats flutter in the dark air, and other night creatures begin to emerge. Rex growls at a skeleton that strays too close to us. I begin putting up a small shelter for the night. Once the tent like structure of red wool is up, I build a small campfire and cook a rabbit I caught earlier.

Rex curls up into a gray ball of fur and stares at me longingly until I pet him. His fur is longer and coarser that Pumpkin’s but still soft and fluffy.

The leaves rustle, and Rex and I look up. After a moment, I shrug and go back to cooking the rabbit. Probably just a creeper or something.

Rex noisily munches the rabbit drumstick I toss him. Another rustling sound comes from the trees, this time from behind me. 

A zombie stumbles out into the clearing with a groan. I pull out my sword, and Rex leaps up with a snarl. The zombie staggers towards me, but Rex pounces on it, tearing it to shreds before it can even get close enough to do anything.

A skeleton leaps out of the trees, but one look at Rex sends it running for the hills. A creeper emerges from the underbrush, and I take it out with an arrow. Another three zombies stagger in behind me, and Rex and I take them out quickly. 

When I turn around, however, several other creatures of the night have crawled out of the filthy holes in which they spawned. 

I aim another arrow, but stop when I realize that Rex and I are surrounded. Rex whimpers when he sees a group of creepers, and I kind of want to do the same.

A dark ball of smoke appears, and a tall black figure dressed in white steps out. 

“How’s  _ that  _ for a dramatic entrance?” She asks the assembled mobs.

They all start clapping, clearly pleased, or just trying to please her.

She waves her hands, “Thank you, thank you,” The clapping subsides, except for one mob foolish enough to continue. “I  _ said _ THANK YOU.” Entity 303 snaps, and the clapping stops.

I feel my eyes narrow as I stare her down. “ _ What _ are  _ you _ doing here?”

“I’m just enjoying the feel of the cool night air while I relish the fact that your friend is being tortured,” She says with a laugh.

I feel my blood begin to boil. “What have you done with Steve?”

“Oh, chill out,” Entity 303 answers with an eye roll. “He’s fine… for the time being.”

I pull out Steve’s diamond sword and square my feet. 

Entity 303 laughs again. “Please, child. I could beat you in a sword fight any day.”

“Fine,” I answer. “Then a deal. If I beat you, you call of your weird mob army and take me to Steve, and If you win, you can have Rex and I as prisoners.”

“Hmmm,” She murmurs, laying her chin in her hands. “Well, I suppose.” She brightens up a moment later. “Colton, grab the dog.”

A skelton leaps forward and scoops up Rex nervously. Rex begins chewing on his arm happily.

“Kendall, you referee,” Entity 303 instructs an enderman. The black creature nods.

She pulls out Herobrine’s diamond sword and charges me.

I wait until the last second before vaulting over her head and spinning around, sword in hand. Entity 303 growls, but the watching mobs begin clapping.

This time I charge her, and our swords meet, diamond against diamond. Entity 303 snarls and uses her sword to push me back. I go with her movement and fall back a few steps before leaping backwards a few steps and dancing forward to push her back in turn. The dark Entity tries to smack my sword out of my hands, but I only grip it tighter.

Back before Steve was captured, he and I used to practice sparing in the clearing near our house. This is shockingly similar, except I’m sparing against my worst enemy rather than my boyfriend, and Entity 303 is actually trying to kill me.

Speaking of 303, she twists around and kicks me in the chest so hard I go flying into a nearby tree. My head slams into the trunk, and I’m so grateful for my helmet. That could have hurt otherwise.

The Mobs gasp in shock, and Entity 303 stands over me triumphantly.

“Oh, poor, poor Alex,” She whispers. “Who will save you now?”

Rex leaps over and bites her really hard.

“Wha-OUCH!” She spins around and kicks Rex in the side.

He growls at her. 

I leap to my feet and kick her sword out of her hands.

“That’s not fair!” She screams. “She CHEATED!”

“Technically there weren't any rules,” The Enderman named Kendall points out.

“We’re leaving,” Entity 303 growls and her army all slowly disperses. I sigh and glance at Rex, who wags his tail at me.

We go back to the camp and Rex and decide to bunk down for the night. I stare up at the tent roof for a while before falling asleep. 

०००

**(Steve)**

It’s so cold.

I can’t feel my fingers. Or toes. Or cheeks or nose or really any other body part.

Why is it so cold?

I open my eyes to see a dismal scene. The gray stone, the iron door, the lantern and the block. Everything is mind-numbingly familiar.

Have I been here before?

Then it hits me. 

I broke out of my cell and there were far too many skeletons for me to take on at once. I remember now.

I shudder. That was really painful. The torture isn’t fun.

Beating to my back and arms, fists to my face. It hurts really bad.

But the worst pain isn’t physical.

I don’t know if Alex is alright.

Is she hurt? Has Entity 303 killed her? What about Rex? Pumpkin? The villagers.

I swear if she hurts Alex I’ll rip her limb from limb. Alex doesn’t deserve that. She deserves to be safe and happy.

A loud laugh comes from outside, and the iron door opens. A handful of mobs walk in laughing and shouting.

Two of them, a pair of zombies, hold me up, and the third, a lankey skeleton winds back and punches me square in the face.

I shout as a blast of pain explodes across my skin.

The other mobs laugh, and I’m passed to another mob so one of the Zombies can take a hit at me.

I close my eyes and try to ignore the pain.  _ Notch, _ I begin the prayer.  _ If you’re out there, please, please, keep these mobs from hurting Alex. Ummmmm…. Amen? _


	9. Necromancy and Horses

**(Steve)**

Someone tosses a moldy loaf of bread at me and it bounces off my head.

I scoop it up from the ground and look it over, picking off the moldy parts and chewing on the crust. It’s disgusting, all cold and stale. I chew on it anyway. There’s nothing else for me to eat even if I wanted it, and besides, I’m hungry.

I nibble the crust and glance out the small window on the door. Four pairs of red eyes meet mine. Spider. Something shoves it out of the way.

A skeleton pushes the door open and, to my horror, is being followed. I scramble backwards when I realize who has entered the cell.

“He’s starving!” Entity 303 snaps. “Give him some actual food. We need him alive.”

“Grrr?” The Skeleton askes, about as confused as I am.

“Without the flesh and blood of King Herobrine, the spell will be impossible to complete!” She growls, shoving the skeleton against a wall.

_ What spell? _ I wonder as the skeleton nods and runs off.

Entity 303 glances back at me. “Hmmm…”

“What?” I ask her. “What spell? What about Herobrine?” I narrowly avoid cringing as I speak the name of my sadistic older brother.

303 laughs. “You don’t need to worry about that, child.”

“If it has something to do with me, then I do,” I argue. 

She rolls her eyes, the same way Alex does when she’s frustrated with me, although Alex is usually just teasing me. 

“There’s a spell,” Entity 303 begins. “It’s ancient, from before our kind even walked this world, that, when certain conditions are met, permits Necromancy. One of those conditions is the flesh and blood of the deceased.”

My eyes widen in horror. “You’re trying to bring back Herobrine.”

“Smart boy,” She smiles. “Now, you be good.” Entity 303 turns and walks out of my cell.

I stare down at the ground and let out a breath of air I didn’t know I was holding in. That’s her motivation. That’s what she’d trying to do. She’s trying to turn me into her lover.

I take another deep breath.  _ Alex, I hope you’re safe. _

०००

**(Alex)**

“Shhhh,” I reach up and rub the mane of the horse standing in front of me. The horse whinnies in responds. “Here, I’m just going to…”

I grab the creature’s mane and swing myself on. The horse lets out a shrill neigh before rearing up and attempting to throw me off it’s back. The horse kicks with its back legs a few times before throwing me off. I land it a heap next to Rex.

He stares at me and cocks his head while the horse runs in a circle, tied to a fence post. When Rex and I had found a herd of wild horses, I remembered the saddle I brought with me. If I could just tame a horse, then it would cut my traveling time in half.

The horse, a large black mare dappled with white spots, snorts at me. I pull myself off the ground. Rex snorts and lays down.

“Oh, stop,” I snap at him. “This is a good idea and you know it.”

Rex raises a dog eyebrow.

I glare at him and approach the horse, who rears and whinnies, kicking her front legs out in a panic.

“Woah, woah, woah,” I cry out, trying to get the creature to calm down. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to be friends.”

Great. I’ve officially lost it. I’m talking to a horse.

The horse breathes out at me in a big woosh of air, and I reach out and gently lay a hand on her muzzle. She flicks her ears back and brays at me angrily, snapping at my fingers.

I jump back with a sigh. “Why isn’t this working?”

She snorts at me. 

_ Oh, Steve, I wish you were here. You were always better with things like animals and small children. _ I silently lament.

Wait. Steve. Hmmmm…

I pull Steve’s diary out of my inventory and look down at the faded leather cover and timeworn yellow paper. It still smells like him. Wait. Smell. Horses have a great sense of smell.

I hold out the book to the mare who glances at it and sniffs it. She snorts softly and almost relaxes. Rex whimpers and tugs on my shirt.

“Not now,” I grumble, looking down at him. He has an apple in his mouth. Oh. That might have been a smart idea. “Thanks.”

I take the apple and offer it to the mare, who sniffs it before eating the entire thing in one bite. She crunches the apple thoughtfully.

I move around to her back and lay a hand on her shoulders. She glances back at me, her brown eyes wide, before taking a step forward, and leaning down to eat a second apple that Rex brought her. 

I rub her shoulders before swinging myself up onto her back and grabbing her mane. She twists around again but doesn’t buck or rear or try to throw me off.

Red hearts explode around us in a cloud, and climb off her back and pull out the saddle that Steve found and slip it onto her shoulders, tying it gently but firmly and checking and double checking it. The mare snorts at me but allows me to continue.

“What should I call you?” I ask her, even though she can’t talk and I’m probably going insane from having no conversation partners besides a pair of animals.

Ignoring my previous thoughts, I continue talking to the mare anyway. “How about Julian?”

She snorts and stamps a hoof.

“I’ll take that as a no,” I continue. “Rose?”

Another snort and stamp.

“Aisha?”

Ears flicked back and an angry bray.

“Um… okay… how about…. Star?” I ask.

The mare tosses her head and goes back to eating apples.

“Okay, I take that’s a yes,” I ask Star, who ignores me and keeps eating the apples. Rex trotts up behind me. I stroke his head before climbing back on Star. She doesn’t do anything, just keeps eating. Rex cocks his head and sneezes. 

I pat Star’s shoulder when she snorts at Rex. Then I lift the reins and gently squeeze Star’s sides with my heels. She begins walking forwards, and soon falls into a steady trot. Rex walks along beside us happily.

We continue our journey.


	10. Run

**(Alex)**

Star’s thundering hooves create a steady beat beneath me as she gallops through the twilight-filled mountains. In the past six hours, Star has proved invaluable, since we have traversed over three times the distance that I could have on foot.

After we left the forests, we crossed a prairie that stretched for as far as I could see, and we finally made it to these mountains, where we currently ride.

When Rex growls at a skeleton, I realize that it’s probably time to make camp. In a small valley, I dismount Star and remove her saddle and bridle. After only a few seconds, she flips over and rolls around in the short mountain grass. I pull out some meat and hand it to Rex before taking some food from my inventory and placing it in my hotbar. Then I take out some red wool and quickly construct a shelter for the night. 

After 303’s attack last night, I’m not taking any chances. I take a moment to tie up Star before bringing Rex inside the shelter and using red wool to fill in the hole.

I place down a lantern as Rex turns three times and lays down. I place down a bed and climb in, pulling the faded grey blankets up to my chin. After a moment, Rex gets up from the ground and hops up onto my bed, deciding that flopping over me like a giant furry blanket is far more comfortable than the soft grass. 

I laugh and he barks, and after a few minutes we both drift off.

०००

“ALEX!” A panicked cry causes me to jolt awake.

“Steve!” I scream in response, leaping up from the bed and whipping my sword out of my inventory, ready to kill anything that could be hurting him but… I’m in my room.

It looks the same as it always does. Pale oak walls, dark green bedsheets, my bookshelves in the corner, the door is even shut how I like it.

Odd. I could have sworn I fell asleep in a valley with Rex on top of me.

I slowly open the door to my bedroom, expecting some hideous monster to come leaping out at me, but nothing of that sort happens. Just the quiet house. The kitchen is quiet, as well as the dining alcove. There’s nothing here.

I move to the stairs and climb up to the upper portion on our home. The upstairs is just as empty as the downstairs, however. The storage chests on the wall are undisturbed, and the ladder to the attic is intact.

I open the door to Steve’s room slowly and freeze.

“Oh hello,” A figure in white spins around to reveal sinister-black skin, bloody red eyes and arrow-sharp teeth.

“303!” I shout, whipping out my sword.

She laughs, long and slow. “Silly little Alex…. Just a child playing with big girl toys.” She lunges forward and rips the sword from my grasp, tossing it across the room, before punching me in the gut.

I cry out and grab at her face, clawing her cheeks.

She snarls and throws me into the wall, and the window shatters. I leap up and lunge at her, but she catches me and flings me out of the window.

I can’t do anything as I watch her stand and laugh as I fall to my death, so I close my eyes and try not to feel the pain of landing, but it never comes.

Opening my eyes, the house, trees, clearing, and everything else is gone. There’s nothing but darkness. Nothing but and empty void pulling me closer.

I close my eyes…

०००

...And wake up with a scream.

Rex looks up at me, looking about as horrified as a dog can be. I stare down at him; his head laying in my lap, and he licks my hand. Slowly, I relax, as Rex moves from my hands to my face, and finally have to push the giant grey puppy off of me.

“Okay, okay!” I laugh as he continues licking my face. “I get it! Chill!”

Rex hops off my bed and barks loudly, before staring at me with a dog-ish grin.

I sigh and get off my bed before opening the tent by breaking the wool. Rex immediately trots out, and I call him back.

He stares at me, confused. So far, every part of this journey we’ve completed together, but now it’s becoming too dangerous to bring Rex along. He needs to stay behind so he won’t get hurt.

“Sit,” I instruct him, and he obediently follows my instruction, albeit a little confusedly. I walk out the opening in the tent, the pause, turning back to look at Rex. “Stay.”

Rex watches as I shut him back inside the shelter and leave the clearing. Star is asleep and doesn’t notice my going, so I slip out all alone.

Walking through the quiet valleys, I watch as bats flutter overhead. I continue walking until I reach the top of a ridge. I quietly make my way to the edge of the cliff and stare at the long fall down.

Highlighted in the moonlight, the plains seem to stretch to the end of the world. There’s no hint of the forests and mountain ranges that make up my new home, or even the massive spruce forests that were my childhood. There’s nothing but empty space, and it’s really unnerving.

“Peaceful, isn’t it?” A voice behind me asks. 

I whorl around and come face-to-face with a light skinned man with a beard wearing a bowler hat. “Who are you?”

He smiles at me. “Not important. You’re still looking for your friend, aren’t you?”

“How did you know that?” I ask, readying my bow just in case, and taking a few steps forward. 

“I know everything,” He answers with a shrug. “It’s my job. Oh, and by the way, I’m not going to hurt you, so you can forget about using your bow.”

I stare at him, slightly horrified, slightly impressed. “What do you want with me anyway?”

He smiles again. “Nothing, but she might,” He motions to someone behind me.

Someone behind me gasps, and I turn around slowly. Entity 303 is standing there, at the edge of the cliff. 

“What!” She exclaims. “How!?!”

“I wasn’t me!” I shout back. “It was him!” I turn back to the man, but to my surprise he’s disappeared.

“What luck,” Entity 303 says with a laugh after composing herself. “The One person I want to kill in the most convenient spot.”

She lunges for me, but I already know from experience that she’s a much stronger fighter than I am and there’s no way I’ll win in a face-to-face confrontation, so I flee rather than try to fight back.

“What!?” Entity 303 screeches in rage. “Come back and fight, you coward!”

Right now, I think I’m okay with being called a coward if I’ll survive long enough to rescue Steve.

I sprint down the mountain, skidding down the steep hillside and into a cave system, running through the stone corridors. I come to an intersection and take the right tunnel. I sprint down the middle tunnel at the next and through the second left one at the next.

“Where are you!?!?” 303 screams.

I pause for a moment in an alcove to compose myself. After a few deep breaths, I realize that I’m probably lost. Okay, just retrace my steps. A right, a left, a middle. Wait. Or was it a left, a right, and then a middle? No, that can’t be it. Maybe, a right, a middle and then a left. Yeah, that’s probably right. Wait, but I’m going backwards, so it’s a left, a middle and then a right. Okay. I start back. Left turn, straight, right turn.

Dead end.

No.

Not now.

It can’t be.

I’m trapped in a cave with my worst enemy.


	11. Lost

**(Steve)**

My arm hurts where a skeleton hit it. My leg hurts where a zombie kicked me. The moldy bread from last night is gone, and I’m hungry. 

Mobs walk past the door to my cell, but I’m so weak, crying out for food is impossible. Besides, if I even try to talk to these mobs, I know they’ll just beat me. I shut my eyes slowly and try to fall asleep.

A piece of broken glass presses into my cheek and I try to ignore it, squeezing my eyes tighter. Oh, Notch, I hope Alex is alright.

०००

**(Alex)**

I turn a corner and almost fall down a ravine. Still gasping from the mini heart-attack, I pull a stack of wood from my inventory and begin carefully building across. After building across, I sprint down the next corridor and realize I’m doing this wrong. 

I’m heading deeper into the mountain, rather than heading up to the surface. I sigh and my shoulders slump, but at the next turn, I head up a corridor sloping somewhat uphill.

I turn a corner and run into a group of zombies.

“Grr?” One of them asks, and a different one of them grins. If you’ve ever seen a jack-o-lantern after it’s been left out for a month, trust me, this is uglier.

The zombies growl, and all of them begin to advance. Thinking quickly, I build a cobblestone tower and stand on top of it. 

The zombies snarl with annoyance, and claw the base of the tower. Standing at the top, I can easily take them out with sword, one by one. A shriek catches my attention, and I look up to see Entity 303 battling zombies with Herobrine’s enchanted sword.

She’s surrounded. Odd. I though she could control mobs.

“HELP!” She cries out, and a part of me wants to help her. It’s what Steve would do. Besides, maybe I can change her opinion and get her to take me to Steve.

I kill a zombie and vault off my tower, propelling myself using another zombie’s head and another’s shoulders before finally landing next to 303.

“What are you doing?!” She asks angrily and confused. 

“Trying to help,” I answer with a grumble. 

“Oh, how sweet,” 303 says with a maniacal grin. “... foolish child.” She turns to the zombies. “Get her!”

The zombies all attack me at once, tearing my shirt and forcing me against the wall. One of them hands her something… the map!

“Oh, what’s this?” 303 says with a laugh.

“Give it back,” I snarl, struggling against the zombies that are holding me down.

“My map,” 303 grins. “I was wondering where this went. It’d be a shame if… oops,” She smiles and tears the corner a little bit.

“Don’t you dare,” I growl. “I need that.”

“Oh, that’s so inconvenient,” Entity 303 smiles. “That an entirely unique map is in my hands, I can be quite… clumsy,” She rips a corner off.

“STOP!” I shout, kicking a skeleton. “Leave it alone!”

“Whoops,” 303 smiles and tears another huge chunk out of the map. “What a klutz I am, I’m really making a fool of myself, aren’t I.”

A lump begins to rise in my throat. My only connection to Steve is being torn apart right in front of me. A tear trickles down my cheek and I can’t even reach up to wipe it away.

Finally, when the map is nothing more than a pile of paper shreds on the floor, Entity 303 glances up at me with a laugh.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m not finished,” She grins, pulling out a flint and steel.

“NO!” I scream, shoving the zombies off me and leaping forward to try and save the map as she lights it on fire. 

I grab the paper but immediately let go as it burns my hands. “No…”

303 kicks me in the side as if I’m nothing more than a disobedient dog. “Idiot,” I hear her mutter, as she turns around and disappears into the caves.

I sit crying, cradling my burned hands against my chest and staring at the dying fire in front of me. The cavern is silent, and apparently even the zombies have the decency to not attack me immediately. 

My map. My only connection to Steve. It’s gone. Burned to a pile of ashes. 

A zombie approaches me with a confused growl, and I leap up and stab it with my sword until it’s nothing more than acrid white smoke. Another zombie approaches and I put an arrow through it’s skull easily.

More zombies begin stumbling towards me. I whip out my sword and stab another through the chest. Avoiding their sharp claws, I leap past them and sprint through the caves, darting upwards, downwards, sometimes running in circles in order to confuse them.

The zombies can’t run, but come after me anyway. I leap across a crevasse in the floor easily, landing on the other side without as much as a stumble. I turn down that corridor, and sprint towards some nearby light.

I skid to a stop just in time to avoid falling off a cliff into a ravine.

A snarl behind me alerts me to the presence of zombies, and I turn around in shock. One of the zombies growls, and the others all answer with a snarl.

I take a step back, and a small chunk of the stone beneath my feet crumbles off and falls a long way down before landing with a splash.

Wait - A splash?

I glance over my shoulder to see a small pool of water, being fed from a spring somewhere inside the mountain.

I glance back at the approaching zombies. Even if I jump, the pool of water is only barely big enough for me to land in. Well, it’s preferable to being ripped apart by zombies.

I turn around, back to the zombies, focus on the water, and leap off the edge.


	12. Spells and Secrets

**(Steve)**

I don’t even know what’s going on any more. A zombie comes in to have a kick at me, and then a skeleton. Or maybe it was two skeletons. Two zombies? I don’t know. I curl into a ball. I don’t particularly enjoy moving around anymore. I’m hungry. Whatever orders 303 gave these mobs have obviously been ignored. I groan softly. I hope Alex is alright.

A group of mobs come into my cell and one of them drags me up. I don’t even do anything. Doing things takes energy, which I do not have. I wish I did. The skeletons holding me up drag me down the hallway to a large open room. 

At the top of the stairs sits a silverfish spawner. The zombies drag me up and I can see a pool of lava surrounded by nine odd blocks. Each one has a small indent, as if you could place a pearl into the center and it wouldn’t fall out.

“Well we got the boy,” One of the skeletons growls. “What do we do now?”

“Tie him up,” Snaps another mob, and my hands are shackled to the wall. I don’t even struggle. Struggling requires energy, which I do not have- you get the point.

The mobs grumble uneasily.

“Now what do we do?” Another one asks. 

“We wait for Her Majesty,” The first skeleton replies.

A bright light appears, and out of it steps Entity 303. She laughs in a dramatic way. “Finally! I have you in my grasp!” She giggles. “Herobrine will return!”

I struggle against my chains as Entity 303 begins to chant something in an unfamiliar language and--

०००

I wake up with a jolt.

That’s odd. I don’t usually have nightmares. Must be this whole kidnapping thing that’s screwing with my head. I roll over and stare out the window on the door. I can’t even tell what’s real in this blasted stronghold anymore. I glance over to the wall and see a bee bumbling around my lantern.

I sigh and roll over. Stupid bees. Wait.

BEES!

That’s it! There’s gotta be some way out of here! Otherwise how would there be bees in here? I brace myself against the wall and pull out a measly wooden pickaxe. I start by destroying the log chunk that the lantern was placed on, and quickly reform it into a crafting table. Then I destroy three blocks out of the wall, and, using some of the sticks in my inventory, I quickly craft a stone pickaxe. Iron or diamond would’ve been preferable to stone, but I’m just going to have to work with what I have.

Then I turn to the wall, and begin hacking away at the stone bricks that form my cell. I smack my pickaxe into the wall multiple times and watch as the wall falls away. I crawl into the hole I just cut and begin mining some more. 

I don’t know how to get out of here, but I do know that I need to head upwards. Upwards to the surface. If, for some reason, the Stronghold was actually floating thousands of blocks above the surface, then this will also help me get out.

I break another block and continue on.

०००

**(Alex)**

I slip into another cavern, my hair still wet from falling off the cliff, and dart down a narrow stone passageway. Cold air freezes my skin as I slide down a small underground hill. On my right, a fish jumps in an underground lake, and my stomach growls. Pulling my bow and arrows from my pack, I remove my Frost Walker boots and approach the lake, carefully notching an arrow and slowly pulling back the arrow.

A fish’s silver scales flashes and I release the arrow. 

It misses and sinks to the bottom. I frown. I’ve never missed a shot like that before. 

Another flash of silver comes from across the lake, and I pause to consider what I did wrong. Is it something about me, did I do something wrong? Maybe I missed. But I’m usually such a good shot…

I stare at the fish longingly.  _ I wish you were here, Steve _ .

The fish jumps, I catch a glimpse of it in the air, and then realization hits me like a cow stampede. Light refraction.

The fish swims closer to me, but this time I aim slightly below it, skewering the little animal effectively. I lift it out of the water, and, with no time to cook it take a bite of food.

Ew. Ew. Ew. Eeeeeeww.

The whole thing is really slimy and gross, and I really want to spit it out. Something inside of me, however, some weird survival instinct takes over and I swallow, before scarfing down the rest of the fish.

I continue on my journey. I wish Rex was here. I wish Steve was here. I kind of wish Entity 303 was here so I can melt her nether-forsaken head in a pool of lava. I hate her. I hate her so much. Part of me wonders who she really is. Is she really some crazy witch, or was she a real person before Herobrine met her? Did she always kidnap people and try to hurt their fiance’s, or is there still a shred of humanity left inside her?

I sigh and move through a dark tunnel, stepping out into a massive room, large enough to fit at least forty full-grown men standing shoulder-to-shoulder. The ceiling arches far away from me, covered in glowstone. Across the cave I see a little hollow, full of blankets and pillows and such. It looks like the place that someone has been living for a while.

Then it hits me.

This is Entity 303’s home. Where she’s been living ever since the Nether fortress was destroyed. She’s been hiding out here, planning her revenge, waiting to take me and Steve out. I enter her sleeping nook and look down at one of the books open on a lectern. On it has some elaborate plan involving Steve, Herobrine, and the King Of The Nether’s spell book.

I tilt my head in confusion. I though Herobrine was the king of the Nether. Was there some other king that I was unaware of or…

I shake off the thought. It’s very unlikely that Herobrine somehow managed to transfer his powers into a book. Even a magic book. Okay, maybe a magic book.

I reach to open the only chest in the room, when an arrow wizzes past and nearly takes off one of my fingers.

My head snaps up and I whirl around to face the arrow-shooter.

It’s Entity 303, standing in the doorway, holding a crossbow.


	13. In the Heat of Anger

**(Alex)**

“ _ I hate you. I hate you. I hate you,” The woman with obsidian-black skin and eyes the color of rubies whispers to the little girl in the middle of a palace hallway. “If it weren't for you, he would care about me and no one else.” _

_ “I thought I was your daughter,” The little girl snarls back, her clover eyes snapping. “I though he told you to take care of me.” _

_ “It’s a test, obviously,” the obsidian-woman snaps. “Whichever of us survives he will have to love.” _

_ “Then I hope you die,” The girl growls. “You can burn in lava and then I’ll finally learn how to use my magic.” _

_ “You fool,” The woman growls. “You don’t have magic. It’s his way of tricking you. You are nothing but a stupid child!” _

_ “At least he loves me for my abilities and not my body!” the girl retorts.  _

_ The woman raises an arm to strike the child, but freezes and lowers her hand as a man with blank white eyes walks into the corridor.  _

_ “303,” He commands. “I will see you now.” _

_ The obsidian woman grins and shoves the child, before following the blank-eyed man into a lavishly decorated room. The child peels herself off the wall and glares at the door, a look of menace marring her features. _

_ Then she turns and runs down the hallway. Runs out of the palace, past the guards, and into the bright, hot nether, where she can stand and stare down at the palace. _

_ One day, she vows, the palace will fall, and  _ she _ will be the one loved and appreciated, while the obsidian-woman sits alone and cold and afraid. _

_ Her shoulders tense and then relax, before she turns and heads down the ridge, out of sight. _

I snap out of my memories in order to stare down Entity 303, who stands frozen in the doorway. We stare at each other, but neither of us says anything. We simply stare.

“Entity 303,” I finally say, hoping that my voice doesn’t betray my anxiety.

“Alex,” She answers cooly. “What are you doing?”

I whirl around to face her. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You are intruding on  _ my _ privacy!” Entity 303 snaps. “This is my home; you are not welcome here!”

“ _ I’m _ intruding on  _ your _ privacy?” I snarl. “ _ You _ kidnapped  _ my _ fiance!”

“Your fiance killed my Herobrine!” She retorts angrily. I pull my bow from my inventory ad lock an arrow.

“Say his name again,” I hiss, red creeping over my vision. “Or are you a coward?”

Entity 303 laughs and throws her crossbow away, pulling Herobrine’s enchanted sword from her inventory and darting forward.

I switch to Steve’s sword at the last second, catching her blade and forcing her backwards. She slides down the steep side of the cavern, and I leap after her, sword raised.

303’s blade catches mine and we exchange blows. 

I smile in a wiry way when I think of what Dr. Green would say to this. She always told me that it takes a lot to force a man to go for the kill, but women are more easily angered. I like to think it’s because of our instincts. Trying to eliminate threats before they pop back up to attack us again.

“Smiling, huh?” 303 cooes. “You won’t be when your precious fiance is dead and my Herobrine is king!”

“What do you want with Steve!?” I explode at her, stabbing towards her stomach. She catches my blade and flips it sideways.

“Necromancy is a powerful tool,” 303 hisses. “But it is impossible without the flesh and blood of the deceased.”

“ _ That’s _ what you’re trying to do?” I shout at her, parrying one of her attacks and lunging forward. “Bring back Herobrine!?”

“Of course,” She growls. “What else would I need your friend for?”

“Are you  _ insane _ !?” I scream. “Herobrine was a _ killer _ ! He loved  _ no one _ ! Why would you do this?”

“He loved ME!” Entity 303 argues. “I was his  _ queen _ !”

His queen? What? How come I never heard about this? She actually had power?

Entity 303 grins at the expression on my face. “Oh,  _ yes _ . I was powerful! I was  _ respected _ ! And you and your little friend took that from me!”

My shoulders sag slightly in defeat. “Look, I know Steve and I took down your evil empire or whatever, but why target Steve? You barely knew him! If anything, you should’ve targeted me!”

“You?” Entity 303 laughs. “Target you? That’s what I did! I took your friend and therefore I got back at you!”

“This… is about me?” I ask quietly.

“YES!” 303 half-shouts. “It’s always been about you! You were his favorite! He loved your abilities and your power, and then he died, and you are the one who gets EVERYTHING!”

The last word comes out a scream, but with underlying currents of anger and hatred.

I step back, trying to avoid Entity 303. “I’m sorry,” I finally breathe. “I’m so, so sorry.” I look up to meet 303’s eyes, which are surprisingly compassionate. “That’s horrible.”

303 sighs and lowers her sword. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” I tell her gently. “You can come back with us, live in a home of your own, explore Minecraft the way Notch intended us too. You don’t have to be a bad guy.”

303 considers this, before looking up in anger. “No. You don’t understand. Herobrine made me like this. He gave me power. You are not going to take that from me!”

“I never said-” I jump in, but she interrupts me again.

“KILL HER!” She screams to several assembled mobs, who have come to watch us fight.

A couple zombies step forward, but the majority of mobs hang back, glancing at each other in the shadows.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Entity 303 screams to the frozen mobs.

A zombie growls and a skeleton clatters, and suddenly the room is being swarmed with massive, huge amounts of mobs. 

“HA!” Entity gloats over me.

An arrow whizzes past her head and she ducks instincivly.

“WHAT!” She roars. “You’re supposed to be attacking HER; not ME!”

The mobs ignore her orders, pouncing on the dark Queen, who soon becomes overwhelmed, trying to fight them all off.

We make eye contact. “HELP ME!” She shouts.

A part of me wants to stay back and let her die, but another bit whispers, ‘What would Steve do?’ and then I’m suddenly in the middle of a fray, fighting back monsters, back-to-back with Entity 303.

“Don’t you get it!?” I call to her, breathless from the fighting. “ _ This _ is what Minecrafters are  _ meant _ to do! We’re supposed to fight back-to-back, we’re supposed to explore and adventure together.”

“That’s what you think!” 303 calls. “With light, who will be the shadow? Who will lead the mobs? Who will cause tension and fight? It must be like this!”

“It doesn’t have to be!” I shout back. “Look at us; we’re working together to defeat these mobs.”

“UuuuGH!” 303 screams, kicking a zombie over in rage. “JUST SHUT UP!”

I roll my eyes, but an enderman teleports in between us, turning to look at 303, before leaning down, wrapping its arms around her and throwing her as hard as it can.

Screaming, 303 tumbles to the ground, towards a cliff. 

I run for her, skidding against the grimy cavern floor and to her side just as zombie lands a kick on her, knocking her over the edge.

Screaming echoes in my ears; I can’t tell if it’s her or me. 

A dull thud echoes through the caves as 303’s body lands on the ground. The mobs glance at each other, then turn to leave.

Jumping down the cliffside, I slide down the scree at the bottom and run to 303’s broken body. It hasn’t disappeared yet, which is worrying.

“Alex,” She groans weakly, and dissolves into coughing that sounds more like sobs. Her image flickers violently.

I obediently approach her. “Yes?”

“Closer,” She gasps, and I see that her obsidian-black skin is lightening. Almost like a curse has been lifted. 

I kneel beside her. 

“You,” She gasps again, and a choked sob emerges with it. “To find your friend…” She trails off.

“Yes?” I ask encouragingly.

“ _ Beyond the dragon’s horns, _

_ Lies a creature’s lair,  _

_ Follow the eye, Ender born, _

_ Destiny will find you there _ ,” She recites reverently, pressing something into my palms. I look down and realize that it’s a stack of Eye of Ender.

The night-darkness of her skin and hair have faded, and even her red eyes have lightened to a soft brown color, hazel in the feeble torchlight.

“Who were you?” I ask her quietly.

“I was…” She gasps, wincing at the movement. “I was Ella. I was so young. He took me. He promised power. I am… sorry.”

“No, no,” I soothe. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

She smiles weakly. “Destroy the…”

Her body begins to fade and glow softly as she turns to white powder.

“Destroy the what?” I ask her, but it is too late. She has faded away into dust and is gone. The only thing left in her wake is Herobrine’s diamond sword.

I place the sword in my inventory, feeling strangely sad, and with a heavy heart, looking up at the ceiling, leave to find Steve.


	14. The Dragon’s Horns

**(Steve)**

Almost… there… 

I shove aside more dirt and stare at the little hole I’ve created. The surface can’t be any farther from here, can it?

I certainly hope it is.

I’m hungry, and this would be a terrible waste of time if it wasn’t.

I break another block and continue on.

०००

**(Alex)**

Beyond the dragon’s horns.

I wonder what that means. Galloping across the sunny fields on Star, however, the world feels open and amazing, like everything will be okay. I can find Steve, as long as I follow 303- Ella’s, instructions. Whoever she was before, I don’t know, but I will find out. I have to find her family. Her village. Her people. Maybe she didn’t see them before she died, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve to know what happened to her.

Star leaps a fallen log, and I look around, embracing the sunny environment and bright air of the warm birch forest. Everything here is so warm and bright. Nothing bad can happen in this peaceful forest.

Star whinnies and rears, and I look up in shocked surprise. Apparently I wasn’t paying enough attention.

Looking up, I see a mountain range far to the east. Squinting, it almost looks like… dragon horns? 

I pull one of the Ender Eyes from my inventory and fling it into the air. It hovers ominously for a moment before gliding towards the mountains and exploding into a thousand tiny shards. I watch the air for a moment before urging Star forward.

Apparently, I’m going in the right direction.

By the time I reach the mountains, it’s dusk, but there’s no way I’m stopping now. Galloping Star under the black velvet sky, I toss another pearl, but this time it veers towards the northeast, towards the distant sea, sparkling in the starlight.

With a sigh, I urge Star forward. 

We reach the sea just as dawn breaks, and, exhausted, rest for the night. The next morning, I watch the waters for while, spectulatiating on how to get across.

Rex barks at me, and I stare at him. “What is it, boy?”

He whines, then shivers.

I sigh. Some help he is.

I look at my inventory, and my eyes glance over the diamond boots given to me by the wandering trader. Oh. Right. That’s probably what Rex was trying to tell me. My boots that let me walk on water. Pulling them out of my inventory, I yank on my boots and stare out at the vast expanse of the ocean. 

With a sigh, I grab Star’s bridle and whistle for Rex, before tentatively stepping towards the water. It freezes over instantly, and I step onto it, ignoring the ominously dull thud that sounds beneath my feet. Star follows me placidly, unconcerned by the ice beneath her hooves, but Rex whines anxiously, pulling away.

“Come on, boy,” I call out to him, and he whimpers again. I roll my eyes. “We’re going to find Steve!”

Rex barks happily at Steve’s name and trots anxiously onto the ice. Together, the three of us continue our journey.

०००

**(Steve)**

I pause for a moment in the darkness beneath the earth, not daring to light a torch lest it suck out all the oxygen and smother me. 

Leaning against the cool wall of the tunnel, I pause to think about Alex. Is she looking for me? Does she still love me? Does she remember our fight?

Notch, I feel so bad about that. I shouldn’t have shouted at her. I shouldn’t have disregarded her opinions. If I could just see her now, then I could tell her how much she means to me. How much I don’t want her to leave.

How much I miss her.

I shake my thoughts away and pull out a shovel, digging through the walls of earth. Soon. I’ll be with Alex soon.

०००

**(Alex)**

We reach the edge of the ocean just as night falls. Gazing around at the scenery, I sigh at the scenery, staring at a mountain range on the horizon. The sun drops lower in the sky, gently kissing the mountaintops, the way fire would accent a dragon’s horns.

Dragon’s horns?

That’s it!

I swing myself onto Star and grin at Rex, tossing a perl into the air. “Almost there, Rex!”

Rex barks and runs to fetch the pearl, but growls as it explodes into thin air. I laugh loudly, happy to be in the warm air. Urging Star into a gallop, we fly across the savanna together, Rex on her heels. Man and beast, as one creature. Steve is there. I am coming. All is right with the world.

Skeletons shoot at me from the dry, wildfire-orange grasses of the savanna, but Star simply runs faster, whinnying with delight. Rex barks and barks, sprinting alongside Star. Even I can’t resist, letting out a whoop of joy.

By the time we reach the mountains, the sun has set, making it difficult to see as I throw another of my pearls. It zips into the air and stops suddenly, rising a few blocks before falling to the earth with a ‘plink!’ noise.

I slide off Star’s smooth back and toss another pearl. It immediately follows the first one, falling to the earth like green rain. Green rain in the shape of an eyeball. Actually, forget that. That simile isn’t going to work no matter  _ what _ I try. *****

I step closer to the block where the pearls landed, and pick them up. The ground is smooth and dusty. Steve is here. Pulling a crafting table, sticks, and some iron from my inventory, I quickly construct a shovel and look down at the earth.

With a deep breath, I set to work.

०००

**(Steve)**

Almost there!

The earth is fresher here, almost like I’m nearing the surface. It smells of dusty grass and insects and small stones.

I break another block, and run into sod; grass roots matting together to form a carpet of life beneath the surface of the earth.

One more block.

One more block, and I’m free.

०००

**(Alex)**

I break the first block, shoving my way through matted grass roots and dust.

CLANK.

Clank?

Holding my breath, I look down into the hole.

०००

**(Steve)**

She’s even more beautiful than I remembered.

“Alex?” I ask her quietly, and she stares down at me in shock.

०००

**(Alex)**

“Steve?” I reply, leaning down and grabbing his thin arms, pulling him above ground.

And suddenly we are on top of each other, crying and laughing and hugging, and oh  _ notch _ , he’s so thin. Steve buries his face in my neck, crying with joy and trembling in the cool night air.

“Shhh,” I soothe, stroking his soft hair as his prickly, stubbly beard pokes my skin. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re okay.”

Steve sniffs, cuddling me. “I… I missed you.”

“Oh, Steve,” I curl closer to him. I can feel his ribs pressing into me. He must be starving. “Let’s stay here for the night, okay?”

“Yeah,” Steve sniffs, nuzzling me. “Please.”

My heart melts at his helpless tone. He’s saved me before. Now it’s my turn.

We cuddle closer before a flying ball of fur crashes into us.

“REX!” Steve exclaims, grabbing his dog into a ferocious hug. “I missed you, buddy!”

Rex barks excitedly, nuzzling Steve with his wet nose and trying to lick him and climb all over him at once.

Star whinnies softly, not wanting to be forgotten. Steve looks up at the mare with awe as she steps towards him. “Woah,”

“She’s called Star,” I explain as Steve stretches out a hand to stroke Star’s soft muzzle.

“Hello, Star,” Steve grins at the mare, and she blows out her breath in a big  _ whoosh _ . He reaches up to stroke her again, and I can’t help but grin at him. He’s always been good with animals. Better than me.

Pulling out a stack of red wool from my inventory, I set to building a little hut around us, hiding us from the view of the massive sky and the monsters lurking nearby. I also take the time to tie up Star and lay out some wool for Rex to sleep on. 

Finally, I lay out the only bed I brought and help Steve into it. He smiles at me weakly, climbing under the covers with a satisfied sigh. 

“Need anything?” I ask him, gently running my hand over his forehead. 

“Stay with me,” He requests, and I lean down to kiss his forehead.

“Always.”

***Sometimes the anguished cries of a writer leak into their stories.**


	15. The Road Back

**(Steve)**

I wake to Alex slumped across my chest, fast asleep.

Best. Morning. EVER!

If you’ve never woken up to someone you love asleep beside you or on top of you, highly recommend it. Gosh, how I’ve missed her.

Alex murmurs something in her sleep, curling into me, and I nuzzle her head softly, happy to be here with her rather than in that dark, cold stronghold.

Alex jerks awake with a gasp, then freezes up. “Steve?”

“Yeah?” I ask, pulling back so she can roll over and look me in the eyes. 

“Love you,” Alex says softly, leaning over to kiss me. I push back gently, kissing her with as much strength as I can muster.

“Love you too,” I answer, breathless as she finally pulls away from me. “But I’d love you more if you’d get me something to eat.”

Alex stares at me, horrified. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I should’ve gotten you something to eat, but I was so wrapped up I--”

I press my hand to Alex’s cheek, cutting her off. “It’s okay. I’m just kind of hungry is all.”

Alex smiles at me, then pulls out, oh thank goodness, steak, honey, and even some apples. Yum!

“Here,” She passes them to me and looks away, embarrassed. “I…” Her shoulders slump, and she lays a hand on my arm. “Steve… I…” Alex takes a deep breath. “Steve I am so, so,  _ so _ ... sorry.” 

“You’re-” I start, but Alex cuts me off. 

“I’m sorry about our fight,” Her hand creeps down my arm, finding my hand and resting atop it anxiously, like a rabbit that could be spooked easily. “Some of those things… some of the things I said were really, really, awful. I don’t wish I’d never met you. In fact, I think that meeting you was one of the best experiences I've ever had. You saved me from my past. You protected me from Herobrine, and what do I do to repay you? I explode all over the place, screaming and shouting and throwing a fit. I was being unreasonable, and I’m so sorry.”

I catch her hand in my free one, touched by her apology. “Thank you for apologising, and I forgive you, Alex.” She smiles at me as I continue. “But there’s something I still have to do.” Her face falls, and she looks away from me, choosing not to make eye contact. I squeeze her hand in the most soothing way I can muster. “I have to apologize for my actions. I really didn’t hear you out, and I should’ve listened to your concerns and tried to be validating rather than just ignore you.”

Alex stares up at me, awe on her face, as touched by my apology as I am by hers, but I’m not done yet. “Speaking of… 303… is she still looking for us?”

Alex looks away from me suddenly, and I can feel a sudden rise in her pulse. Anxiety’s building in her, I can feel it. What happened? 

“303… is… not coming back,” Alex sighes, looking towards the roof of our tent and not meeting my eyes. “She died shortly after falling from a cliff. I have Herobrine’s sword in my inventory.”

“You kept it?” I ask, glancing down at her in surprise. That’s not something I’d expect from her. Usually she’d throw it away as soon as it got close to her.

“I wanted… you to see it,” Alex explained. “And we could bury it or something.”

She curls against me, looking upwards, piercing green eyes glittering in the dim light of the tunnel. I lean down to touch my nose to hers. “Of course we can do that. As soon as you want.”

Alex smiles slightly. “How about now?”

I lean towards her, pulling her closer using an arm. “Of course.”

०००

**(Alex)**

The burial goes smoothly. Steve quickly crafts a coffin (read:chest) from the wood I give him. I dig a hole three blocks deep, and we place the chest inside, opening it to place the sword inside. Then, together, we fill the hole, dumping dirt back into the grave we made in the earth.

Then we start out for home. Steve still isn’t strong enough to walk very far yet, so Star comes in handy once again. Rex trotts beside us, tongue hanging out as we cross the dusty savanna.

When we reach the ocean, Rex sprints up to the edge of the water, and barks excitedly,wagging his tail until I step out over the water, freezing it instantly. Steve stares from Star’s back in amazement.

“How…” He starts, staring down at the ice as Star clops dully behind me.

“Magic boots,” I try to explain. “They were given to me by a wandering trader.”

“Okay…” Steve still looks confused, but appears to accept my answer as valid. “That’s cool, I guess. What else did you do while I was gone?”

“Went to find you,” I explained, pulling Star a little closer to me and walking a bit faster. “Why?”

“Just curious,” Steve explained. “‘Cause I got stuck in this stronghold, and…”

He trails off, recounting his tale more bravely that I would be able to in that situation. Star snorts when Steve cracks a joke, and Rex growls at any mention of 303. When we reach the edge of the ocean again, Rex hops of the ice and swims to shore, shaking himself off wildly. 

On that edge of the ocean, I sit down and help Steve off, the two of us climbing into the bed to spend the night. 

The next morning goes smoothly, as do the next two days. It takes nearly four days before I begin to recognize the path I originally took to leave our home. I break out into a run, and Steve urges Star into a gallop, rex sprinting alongside us. I sprint through the trees, crossing the tree line and running up to the edge of the clearing where our house is, hopping up the porch to find Pumpkin napping on the railing.

I stare at her incredulously for a moment. “How did you get out of the house?” 

Pumpkin flicks her tail at a broken window, and I almost facepalm. Oh, that makes sense. Steve comes out of the woods, riding Star.

“Wow,” He stares up at the house. “Did the house get trashed or  _ what? _ ”

“Steve!” I practically shout, spinning around to face him. “What was  _ that _ ?!”

“I’m not wrong, am I?” Steve asked, trying to gracefully leap from Star’s back, but accidentally falling on his face. He pulls himself off the ground, approaching me to hug me from behind, the golden light of the evening lighting the scene.

Steve rests his chin in my hair, his prickly beard poking my scalp. “It’s been so long,” He whispers, squeezing me gently. 

I lean back, relaxing against his body. “It has, Steve. It really has.”

Because it was. It never should’ve been, but it was. And now, together in the golden evening light, we would face it… together.


	16. Epilogue: I Now Pronounce…

Steve was nervous.

Not your normal kind of nervous either. Not the kind that you can distract yourself or run away from. This kind of nervousness was the kind that mingled with excitement, wrapping him in a tornado of delight and anxiety.

Because, you see, today was Steve’s wedding day.

Tapping his feet on the carpeted floor of the village church, Steve anxiously waited for Alex’s arrival. The guests also sat in anticipation, watching the door with interest. Steve fiddled with the collar of his shirt for the nineteenth time and caught Dr. Green’s husband Tristan glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

Steve glanced nervously up at the stained glass window, when the villager at the jukebox pushed in Alex’s favorite song,  _ Blocks _ by C418. 

Steve inhaled sharply as the doors swung in, and Alex stepped into the chapel, Hazel and Anne holding up the short train of her dress. All in all, the dress is beautiful. 

It started at her shoulders, a simple v-neck collar accented by tiny embroidered flowers. The sleeves were elbow-length, stretching down to Alex’s forearms and falling away in a gentle curve. The bodice cuts off directly beneath Alex’s breast, where a small, white sash transformed the dress into a wide, flowing skirt that smoothed to the floor. 

On her head rested a crowning wreath made from three different types of flowers. Lily of the valley, tulips and oxeye daisies displaying a symbol of purity that contrasted amazingly against Alex’s fire-orange hair that was braided into a long fishtail down her back. She smiled shyly at Steve, displaying her own anxieties over their wedding.

Steve relaxed. Turns out, he wasn’t the only anxious one. The song began to finish, leaving the room in a warm, waiting silence.

Alex held out her hand, and Steve took it gently, noticing his hands were shaking. “You look lovely.” He whispered.

“Thank you,” Alex whispered back, her green eyes glittering with tears of happiness. After all the adventures, the heartbreak, the amnesia and kidnappings, they were finally getting married. 

The priest, Kaleb, cleared his throat and opened a Villager Bible, flipping through it, before facing the crowd with a warm smile. It was customary in Minecraft for a priest to give a speech at a wedding. “Friends, family, and villagers, it is an honor to be here with you today, to celebrate the wedding of Steven Blocker and Alexandria Archer.

“Ever since the two of them met, they were friends, and I wish them well to keep that friendship in their marriage, to build on it, to grow together rather than apart. 

“I wish them prosperity and health, good lives and many great adventures to come.”

Steve glanced around the chapel, looking over the villagers, the family that had raised him-- they were all there. In the back of the chapel, a man in a bowler hat sat on a bench against the wall. He smiled, winked at Steve, and then, in a flash of sunlight, vanished.

“Steven,” Kaleb’s voice cut through his thoughts, and Steve stood at attention. “Would you like to say anything?”

Steve nodded, then turned to the filled chapel. “To everyone here, I’d like to thank you for making me who I am today. There was a possibility that I could’ve been angry and stingy like my brother, but instead, I stand here with you today, happy and loved, about to marry a woman that I care for, so to you, I say thank you.”

The villagers smiled, some gave short claps, but most stayed silent (this was a church, after all). Kaleb turned to Alex. “Alexandria, would you like to say anything?’

“I would, actually,” Alex answered, looking out over the villagers. “When I first came here, I was close to death. I didn’t know who I was or where I came from, but Steve took me in. He used the hospitality you gave him and played it forward. I lived to be here today because of him- because of many of you as well, and I hope that one day we can pay that love back.”

“Thank you, Alexandria,” Kaleb smiled. “Then, we should begin the vows. Steven,”

Steve straightened up, looking up at Kaleb anxiously. 

“Do you, Steven Blocker, vow under the name of Notch to take Alexandria Archer, in sickness and in health, in life and whatever comes after, in the Overworld, Nether, and End, as your wife?”

Steve took a deep breath. “I do.”

Kaleb nodded, turning to Alex. “Do you, Alexandria Archer, vow under the name of Notch, to take Steven Blocker, in sickness and in health, in life and whatever comes after, in the Overworld, Nether, and End, to be obedient and childbearing, as your husband?”

“I--” Alex froze, thinking the vow over. Steve stared at Kaleb, horrified. Alex? Sweet, strong, badass Alex, _obedient?_ _Childbearing_? Weren’t those things (especially the second one) supposed to be discussed between an already-married couple? Besides, there was no way Steve would want Alex to be obedient to him- she would HATE that!

“I have an objection,” Steve interjected, and Alex gave him a nervous but relieved look.

“Yes?” Kaleb asked, looking confused.

“Why does it say that?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t want Alex to be obedient and childbearing. Can you cut it out?”

“Hmmm….” Kaleb looked through the bible. He sighed. “We do need to update this. I can cut it out.”

Alex smiled at Steve gratefully, and Kaleb started again.

“Do you, Alexandria Archer, vow under the name of Notch, to take Steven Blocker, in sickness and in health, in life and whatever comes after, in the Overworld, Nether, and End, as your husband?”

Alex beamed wider. “I do.”

Kaleb smiled, closing the bible. “Then it is so. Phineas, the rings, please?”

Phineas nodded, scrambling off his seat and approaching both of them, the simple gold wedding bands resting quietly on a cushion. Steve took one and slid it onto Alex’s finger. She took the other and slid it onto his.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Kaleb answered, then turned to Steve. “You may kiss the bride.”

Before Steve could even make a move, Alex leaned over to him and pressed her lips against his. Behind him, Steve could hear Kaleb gasp and the chapel gasp, as well as Phineas loudly exclaiming, “EEEEEWWWWW!”

They pulled apart, only to be nearly assaulted by congradulations. People threw flowers and wheat, and Alex smiled at Steve as he led them out of the Church. Outside, warm, golden sunlight greeted them as, laughing, they stepped away from the darkness and into the light.

After a grand reception and a short horseback ride, Alex and Steve arrived at their honeymoon home, a small cottage built on the edge of a lake about twelve miles south of the village. The bright moon played along the water, casting silvery rays upon coral and fish and lighting the white sand. Alex walked hand-in-hand with Steve, her wedding dress blowing in the breeze.

Out of the blue, Steve stooped down and scooped Alex up, holding her gently and walking towards the cabin. Alex squirmed. “What are you doing?!”

“A romantic carry on the beach?” Steve offered hopefully. 

Alex sighed, but leaned over to kiss Steve’s nose. “Alright, fine. But only if I can carry  _ you _ next.”

Steve burst out laughing so hard he had to set Alex down for fear of dropping her. Alex leaned against him, her shoulders also shaking with laughter. Taking Steve’s hand, she walked to their honeymoon house, a small blue cottage with a white roof. 

Entering, Alex flicked a switch on the wall, lighting the room as Steve made his way to the massive double bed in the sleeping alcove. Alex kicked off her uncomfortable flats and came to sit beside him, shaking the wreath of flowers off her head and getting petals everywhere.

Steve smiled, scooting over and kissing Alex on the lips, the slow, lingering kind of kiss that lasted long after they parted. Alex looked away suddenly, and Steve watched her, anxious.

“What’s wrong?” He laid a hand on hers.

Alex laughed softly. “Nothing. It’s just… this wedding, it’s something I thought would never happen, and now, being here with you… it feels too good to be true.”

Steve smiled slightly, reaching up to brush away some of Alex’s hair. “Do you think our adventures are over yet?”

“No,” Alex smiled. “But I believe this plot twist made them a whole lot better.”

Steve smiled wider. “Me too, Alex. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand, CUT!


	17. Post-Epilogue

Post-Epilogue

Most would be terrified to be trapped in the mountains at midnight, but they weren't. The warm amber glow of the campfire warded off any mobs who dared to approach the people seated around it. The thick, brown smell of roasting pork filled the air, and one of the figures reached out with a stick to poke the meat.

He turned to look at a girl sitting on a log, looking bored. “It’s almost done.”

She flipped her cinnamon-blonde hair. “Oh good. I thought we’d be sitting here until the end of time.”

He adjusted his penguin-themed hoodie and glared at her. “You think they’ll show?”

She rolled her eyes. “They’d better. It was a heck of a time trying to get out of my house, you know, with my mom around.”

“I’m sure she’s just worried about you,” Penguin Hoodie offered, trying to help his friend. Cinnamon Hair snorted. 

“Who’s worried about you?” A voice called, and two more figures approached the campfire. Both had bronze skin and dark eyes. The taller one had a bad scar across his chin, and the shorted one was carrying a book and quill.

“My mom, I guess,” Cinnamon shrugged, watching the flames as Scar and Book sat down on another log and boulder. “Apparently I used to have a half-sister who disappeared, like, when she was five, and my mom never got over it.”

Scar winced. “Oof. That hurts.”

Book opened his journal and began taking notes. Scar glanced over his shoulder, reading, then looked back at Penguin and Cinnamon. 

“You guys ever think about… urban legends?” He asked, his hand running down the scar on his chin. “Like, Herobrine?”

“DON’T SAY HIS NAME!!!!!!!!” Cinnamon and Penguin both shouted, panicking.

“It’s not like he’s Voldemort,” Book commented dryly.

“What do you think?” Penguin asked, shuddering heavily. “Because I don’t want to.”

“My dad knew him,” Scar shrugged. “Or something like that.”

Penguin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest. “That’s ridiculous. He’s not even real!”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Book cut in, looking up. Cinnamon got up from her seat, walking past the boys and staring out across the rainforest and desert that surrounded the mountains. She turned, glancing back up to Dragon’s Horn Mountain and sighed heavily.

“What is it?” Scar asked, following her gaze.

“It’s just,” Cinnamon sighed again. “I sometimes wonder, y’know, if there are any refugees of Herobrine that got left behind. If there are other people out there. Other people like us.”

“My dad sold a Wandering Trader a pair of Frost Walker II Boots a couple weeks ago. He might know something about other people,” Scar offered. “I’ll ask him tonight.”

“Hey guys,” Penguin called. “Food’s ready.”

Scar turned around, looking hungry, but Cinnamon glanced out over the rainforests and deserts one last time. Someone was out there. She knew it. And no matter what, she would get to the bottom of this.

What Cinnamon didn’t know, was that this was a lot bigger than she first thought.

And it would change  _ everything _ .


End file.
